A Halloween Tale
by Huddyalways-24-BK-MA
Summary: Bill and Karen decide to attend the annual Halloween Party...


**So I've decided that Bill isn't dead. Haha. And well, Halloween being one of the best holidays ever created, I wrote this fic in celebration. Too bad I didn't get the idea or encouragement to write a fic before 11:47 on Halloween night. Enjoy. Please R/R. It's a little short. Oh, and Happy Belated Halloween.**

**Disclaimer: No I don't own 24 or it's characters, if so Bill would not be dead so there's your proof that I in no way do. Just messing around here**.

* * *

Karen came down the stairs a little flustered, "have you seen my torch?"

Bill found no need to stifle the condescending laugh that left his mouth.

"What?" Karen inquired with more frustration.

"Nope, haven't seen it," he snickered.

Karen rolled her eyes, leaving the kitchen she went into the living room.

"I'm going to start getting ready," Bill shouted from the other room as she continued searching.

"Oh good," she shouted, "I'm glad you decided to take my advice from an hour ago."

Karen heard a sarcastic "haha" from the distance.

Around fifteen minutes later Karen had found her torch and Bill was finally ready and still snickering.

"What?" she snapped.

"It's real original Honey," he proclaimed.

Karen glared at him, "for over a week now, ever since I told you I was going as the statue of liberty you have made no effort to hide you disdain and mockery."

"That's only because you objected to my idea," he explained.

Karen groaned, "not this again."

"Well come on, how original is this?" Bill smiled posing before his wife.

"You look disgusting Bill," she pointed out.

"Karen I'm American Freedom, how peaceful and alive do wish me to be?"

"Well I think the blood running from your eyeballs is a little extreme," she said.

Bill beamed with pride despite her comment, "just think of what people will say."

"He ruined a perfectly good Uncle Sam costume?"

"Haha aren't you a hoot," Bill was the one to roll his eyes this time.

"The sign is little overreaching though," she stated.

"I know," he admitted, "that's because you refused to coordinate."

"And how do you go about dressing up as _The Patriot Act_?" she asked.

"I don't know, that was supposed to be your job," he said.

"Exactly," Karen turned, feeling she had won her argument.

Bill made a confused look to his wife's back, shrugging, he figured he'd let her have this one. "Now that we've established the dislike we have for each other's costumes, may we go?"

Karen smiled and nodded.

**_-24-_**

They were half way to their party when Bill brought up the costume topic again.

"So what's the real reason you don't like my costume?"

Karen sighed, but finally explained, "I just don't think it's appropriate."

"What do mean?" he inquired with curiosity.

"Well Bill, you're going as the implication that the patriot act killed American freedom. Which just brings up odd views and contrasting facts on terrorism and torture and oh this is just confusing. I mean considering..." Karen trailed off drawing her hand to her head.

"Considering what?" Bill knew where she was headed, he just enjoyed watching his wife form her thoughts into words, something she often had difficulty with when trying to understand his own thoughts.

"Considering it's the main reason they shut down CTU. You know, that federal building you used to be the director of," Karen explained her full thinking.

"Aw," Bill held up an index finger, "but that's the brilliance of it my dear."

Karen faintly smiled at her husband, "it still makes me uneasy."

He smiled, "just relax Honey, it's not like we're going to the White House, it's just Chloe and Morris's."

Karen nodded, "all right fine."

When reached the O'Brian residence, upon ringing the doorbell a Happy Halloween was exclaimed from both sides of the door as it was swung open.

As soon as the door opened Bill exclaimed, "damn it."

On the other side of the door frame was his double.

"Are you serious?!" exclaimed a disappointed Chloe.

"Not so original anymore are we Hon?" Karen mocked.

Morris laughed while Bill and Chloe could only stare at each other with the utmost sadness. They all entered the house closing the door behind them.

Much to Karen's dismay, once they'd passed the initial shock they high fived each other.

"Who knew?" Chloe laughed. "I mean both of us with such brilliance."

"Can you believe," Bill began, "Karen refused to dress up as the patriot act."

Chloe smiled and throwing a thumb in Morris's direction said, "same issue with this one."

"Honestly Love, I didn't think dressing as Charles Logan was a good idea," he proclaimed.

Karen and Bill both laughed.

"Oh well," Chloe said, "at least Bill and I look cool."

Karen glared at her, at which point Chloe said, "oh but you look lovely too."

"Thank you," Karen replied to the forced complement.

Bill and Morris could only shake their heads.

**_-24-_**

The party was in full swing by the time Karen went looking for Chloe.

"Have you seen Bill?" she asked once she'd found her.

"No I haven't," she responded, "in fact come to think of it I haven't seen Morris either."

"Great," Karen looked around the room before she turned to Chloe with a thought, by the look on the younger women's face, she'd had the same epiphany.

"They can't be," Chloe simply stated.

"Well of course they could be," Karen replied, "you remember last year."

"Exactly though," Chloe protested, "last year their prank just backfired on them. Why would they try something again?"

"I don't know, but you know them, they're not giving up until they actually get us."

Chloe sighed heavily, "well where do you think they would be?"

Karen tried to think, but before she could search for any possibility, her cellphone began to ring.

Chloe looked at her friend with a puzzled expression as Karen listened to the phone shaking her head.

"All right fine, we'll be there shortly," Karen hung up the phone.

"What happened?" Chloe looked a little worried.

"They're in jail," Karen said, trying to stifle a laugh for Chloe's benefit.

"What?" she spat in surprise.

"It seems as though their prank was to scare us," Karen explained. "They were outside hiding, and one of your neighbors called the cops about two suspicious individuals."

Chloe could now see why Karen was trying not to laugh, she laughed herself, which in turn made Karen join her.

"Come on," Karen said between a laugh, "let's go."

Chloe told one of her friends where she was going and asked her to check on Prescott.

They both met at the front door, out of costume.

"Well I'm glad we both had the same idea," Chloe proclaimed.

"I figured it'd be difficult to mock them given what we were wearing," Karen stated.

Chloe laughed, "very true, now should we go bust our husbands out?"

Karen laughed as went to the car.

**_-24-_**

"This whole think is ridiculous," Bill spat to Morris.

"I know," he agreed, "how can you be prowling outside your own house?"

"It's your fault," Bill blamed him.

"How is this my fault?" Morris argued.

"You're the one without the I.D. on you!"

"I had no place for it in my costume," Morris said. "Besides, you didn't have your I.D. either!"

"Yeah," Bill said, "but I'm not the homeowner!"

Morris shrugged trying to think of another way to pass the blame, "well the whole thing was your idea in the first place."

"All right, I'll give you that one," Bill gave in.

Minutes later, both their wives had shown up.

A police officer went to open the cell door, "Mr. O'Brian, you're free to go, your wife has explained everything."

Morris and Bill looked from each other to the officer, to their wives.

As Morris left the cell and it was locked again, he asked, "what about Bill?"

"I'm afraid Mr. Buchanan will have to stay here a little while longer while we can run a few background checks," the officer explained.

Bill looked at Karen who was grinning with her head down, he began to get frustrated. "What authority do you have to do that?"

"Well, just look at you sir," the officer responded.

"I know," Bill said, "but again, what authority do you have to do that?"

"The patriot act my dear," Karen stated with an evil smirk.


End file.
